The government announced plans on Thursday to lease 700,000ha of farmland acquired by the state to black farmers across the country in what will be a significant acceleration of its land reform programme.
Agriculture, land reform & rural development minister Thoko Didiza said at a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday that the 896 farms spanned all provinces, except for Gauteng and the Western Cape. Farmers will be given a 30-year leasehold with an option to buy.
Should all the farms be leased, it will constitute a significant speeding up of land reform, which has slowed down to less than 100,000ha a year in recent years.
From 1994 to 2019, the government acquired and redistributed 4.8-million hectares to emerging black farmers and another 3.5-million hectares for purposes of land restitution. Land redistribution to black farmers has thus taken place at a rate of 192,000ha a year.
But the government is far behind on its own target to redistribute 30% of agricultural farmland by 2014. Over the past 25 years, 10.2% of agricultural farmland has been transferred to beneficiaries.
Over the past 25 years, 10.2% of agricultural farmland has been transferred to beneficiaries. The allocation of farms for land reform has been controversial with documented evidence by University of Western Cape researchers showing that more than half of the beneficiaries were well-off black businessmen with other business interests, who are able to exert influence on district and provincial officials.
The report also found that more than 80% of beneficiaries have been male.
There has been a high rate of failure in land-reform projects because many of the beneficiaries lacked capital and farming experience.
Didiza said the application process will be the same as before with an additional emphasis that women receive preference. Didiza and her deputy Mcebisi Skwatsha are adamant that they have addressed weaknesses in the system and that the allocations will be free of corruption.
District beneficiary screening committees will screen applications and interview applicants. They will then make recommendations to a provincial technical committee. There will also be an appeal process for unsuccessful applicants.
Applicants with some farming experience — three to five years — will also be prioritised, though those with no experience will not be excluded from applying. Didiza said that training will be compulsory for all beneficiaries.
She noted that some of the farms may already be occupied without permission.
“A land inquiry process will determine how individuals and communities occupying land got access to it. The inquiry will also look at how the land is being utilised and whether such use is in accordance with the agricultural practices for the area,” said Didiza.
“Where such land has been used for settlement, assessment will be done, together with the departments of human settlements; water and sanitation; environment, forestry and fisheries. Based on the outcome of the assessment and recommendation, a decision will be taken on the future of such occupations.”
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